Items can be dropped off at Solace & Fine Espresso in Beaverton (4655 SW Griffith Drive) between 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday, February 17.

I am really excited about this food pantry drive. When I was in the corporate world for seven years or so I ran the yearly food drive and toy drive. I loved doing. I felt good about myself, my company, our community, the organizations I worked with.

I’m spreading the word about this food pantry drive here on Go Fit Girl!, in my social media world and with my yoga and cycling classes. (But I don’t want anyone to feel pressure or obligated. We all have organizations we like to support. And sometimes money/items isn’t something we can afford right now.)

For the hygiene kits think about the next time you travel to grab all the soaps, shampoos, toothbrushes, etc. you get complimentary and donate those to shelters, various organizations. When I traveled more I collected those items and donated them to women’s shelters.

If you don’t live in Beaverton or even Oregon you can contribute items or money to a food bank or another organized food pantry. Contact your local organization for their highest needs. (Maybe you can also spread the word to friends, colleagues, etc.)

Or maybe there is some other cause you want to contribute to. That’s great. Do it! Raise money, donate money, time or services. Help better your community in the best way you can.

If you do want to participate in the above mentioned food pantry drive but can’t drop your items off at the designated time and place I can make arrangements with you to get your items and drop them off. I will be dropping off items at about 7:30 on Friday evening.

I don’t teach gentle or chair yoga classes. But I have enough knowledge to experiment. My students range from beginner to injured to in their 20s to their 70s (sometimes I even teach kids) to very flexible to very inflexible to practicing once a week to practicing almost every day to being a yoga teacher to someone who has a regular home practice to someone who is intermediate or advanced.

When I teach: I want students to honor their bodies. I want them to be safe (with alignment and anatomy). I want all practitioners, whatever they look like, believe, how often or how long they have practiced, or whatever their level to be able to come to my class. And to laugh a little as we practice together.

The chair yoga sequence I put together would be great for someone new to yoga, someone looking for a gentle practice, someone with injuries or inflexibility, someone who can’t easily get up and down off the floor/mat.

Feedback and comments appreciated. You can comment below or e-mail me at ann@gofitgirl.com.

“We work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all.”

Thanks, Trump. You turned me into an activist.

I along, with millions of others, around the globe marched and protested last Saturday, Jan. 21.

It felt amazing to be surrounded by love, kindness, mutual respect … to feel welcomed, loved and safe.

Marches around the globe were peaceful. Just as a peaceful protest should be.

I loved looking at all of my friends’ pictures posted on social media and pictures from around the United States and world. Check out pictures posted on the The New York Times website. It’s so powerful, beautiful and amazing. I took a few photos at the march in Portland, Ore. You can view them here.

Why did I march?

I marched because I believe our president has made clear that he doesn’t care about all Americans. He has openly lied. He has mocked, offended, said awful, terrible things about women, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, non-Christian religions, a Gold Star family, the media, etc. A true president represents ALL Americans.

I believe he is just in this for himself. A president works for the people. He should be serving all Americans. I don’t believe he is doing that in things he has said and actions he has already taken while in office just a little more than a week.

While all the marches were amazing we need to make sure our voices are heard again and again. We need to continue to let the president and the administration know that we won’t stand for the ugliness and the hate. As one of my friends posted on Facebook, My country is breaking my heart.

If you aren’t sure what to do there are so many small things we can do. If you can afford it, donate money to an charity/organization that you feel strongly about. If you can’t afford to donate money, maybe your time or other resources (such as a skill you can share).

When I was teaching Tuesday evening as the first of the snow lightly started falling I told my yoga class that I might experiment with online yoga classes.

Well, experiment is what I did today.

In Portland we have had four snowstorms this winter. Snowpocalypse Part 4 is the worst and hopefully the last. This Arizona Girl is so over this! We had a lot of snow yesterday evening, last night and today.

During Snowpocalypse Part Deux (in mid-December) I did start to get a little stir crazy.

I couldn’t handle multiple days of being in the house and not teaching.

This was an experiment. There are things I realize need adjusting before the next video. But please feel free to come to me with feedback, comments, questions, advice, etc. (You can comment below, on Facebook or e-mail me at ann@gofitgirl.com.)

For now I will be recording these sessions on my phone–as that has the most room and it is the easiest to maneuver. And the microphone seemed pretty good. (Hey, it even picked up murmurs from the meeting The Husband was having downstairs and the neighbors’ dog barking.)

As Snowpocalypse continues you can keep updated with the status of my classes by clicking on the My Classes tab above or going here.

For some of my indoor cycling classes this past week I planned a playlist on Spotify to pay tribute to some of the artists we lost in 2016.

Today is the last day of 2016.

I know many are saying good riddance to this year. But really, why?

There are some things that happened this year that I am not happy with. But many great things happened this year as well.

And we can’t have joy without suffering and we can’t have suffering without joy.

And I truly believe that everything we experience good and bad make us who we are today. So on Dec. 31, 2017 we will look back and see what has changed (good and bad) and how we have changed over the past year.

As we all are well aware many celebrities died this year. Their deaths stand out more because they are celebrities.

But many people lost someone this year who they really loved and cared about. Whether a parent, spouse, friend, child, grandparent, sibling, etc.

I’m not discounting your feelings toward a celebrity whose music meant something to you when you were an awkward teenager and needed someone to relate to or a fabulous actress or actor who really spoke to you or an author who got into your imagination and made the words from the pages real in your own mind/imagination or …

Probably the biggest celebrity loss for me is George Michael. But I will be honest. I am not heartbroken or devastated. But yea, it’s a bummer.

I remember as a kid watching Friday Night Videos (remember those?) dancing and singing along with George and that other guy from Wham! thinking “yup, George, you are my man.”

In the end we all die. Some sooner than we think is time. But when we go, it’s our time. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense, it’s not fair, it hurts a lot.

Many look at a new year as a clean slate.

I received a newsletter from one of my former yoga teachers reminding us to face 2017 with courage.

Also, please remember to be kind to yourself and to others.

First limb of yoga is YAMA: Our morals and ethical standards and our behavior toward others.

Second limb of yoga is NIYAMA: Our treatment of and our attitudes toward ourselves.

Let’s welcome 2017 with peace, love, compassion, kindness, acceptance, honor and patience for ourselves first and, of course, to others as well.